The Thumb Area Consortium for Health Information Access (TACHIA) was formed to link seven small rural acute-care community hospitals in a collaborative effort to increase the access of health care professionals to current health sciences information. These hospitals share the common obstacles of geographic isolation, lack of information resources, difficulties in physician recruitment, and physician isolation. This proposal builds on previous linkages among the TACHIA hospitals, and on a partnership with a large urban community hospital, to develop a simple, sustainable, needs-driven model to increase access to and delivery of information resources to rural health care professionals. A computer, modem, GRATEFUL MED software, and Internet access will be provided at each rural TACHIA site to electronically link these health care professionals to existing sources of health information. This project will increase rural health professionals' awareness of GRATEFUL MED, the MEDLARS databases, and other electronic sources of health information, both in Michigan (DALNET), and nationally (Internet). The ability of rural health care provider and enhances through training activities. LOANSOME DOC service will also allow rural health professionals to gain access to remote Journal collection. The state medial society electronic network will offer access to email colleagues and to participate in continuing medical education opportunities, thus alleviating geographic isolation. The long-term objectives of this project are improved patient care and physician recruitment, resulting from enhanced access to current health sciences information, to colleagues, and to professional development opportunities. Plans for evaluation, dissemination, and the future support of the project have been addressed. This project will serve to extend the programs and services of the National Library of Medicine to health professionals in a rural and medically underserved part of Michigan.